Thursday, October 20, 2011

$4 a Day Giveaway!

Remember my post from last night? I posted a picture of a Chorizo-Flavored Scramble from Ellen Jaffe Jones' new cookbook, Eat Vegan on $4 a Day. And while I admitted that yesterday's scramble wasn't exactly inexpensive to make, most of her recipes are. I just naturally gravitated to the one recipe in the book made with fake meat ... because I like the fake meat.

But tonight, I made a much more affordable recipe from Jones' book, as its name implies — Checkbook-Saving Bean Salad (seriously, that's it's name):

It's basically like my summer tomato salad, but with added chickpeas for protein. Just tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, oil, vinegar, and chickpeas. I used a pear balsamic vinegar and a blood orange-infused olive oil because I had those in the pantry, but the recipe could be made with plain ole vinegar or lemon juice and regular olive oil. Jones even suggests skipping the olive oil for a lower fat salad, but why would I do that?!

You can have your very own copy of Eat Vegan on $4 a Day since the publisher is allowing me to give one away to a lucky reader. The contest is limited to readers in the U.S. and Canada (sorry, their rules!). But leave me a comment here on your favorite inexpensive vegan meal for a chance to win.

For an extra entry, link to the contest on Facebook and leave a separate comment letting me know you did. Ditto for Twitter. That's a total of three comment entries per reader. Be sure and leave your email in your comment if yours isn't listed on Blogger. I'll randomly choose one comment next Tuesday night.

89 comments:

I don't have fb or twitter, but I do have plenty o' cheapo vegan meals. Chili is a favourite in our house, and can be made with just about anything we have laying around: tomatoes (fresh or canned), whatever dried beans that are in the cupboard, frozen corn, mushrooms, potatoes, whatever... Lots of chili powder and cayenne pepper. Sometimes I make it into a casserole with a cornbread crust - heavenly!

My favourite inexpensive "meal" is hummus made from dried chickpeas and that inexpensive tahini from the Persian grocery store (and garlic, salt, oil, and lemon, obvs!). Pair that with raw veggies or homemade pita and I'm a happy girl!

I made a Lebanese Red Lentil Stew the other night that was truly delectable (even company worthy), particularly considering how cheap the ingredients were....! I also bake my own bread for added cheapness....

This is cool--I'm in grad school right now, so time- and money-saving meals are a necessity. I like black beans seasoned with chipotle tabasco w/ rice & some greens and peppers--super cheap & quick (with canned beans, that is...) and one cup of rice and a can of beans can make 2 or 3 dinners.

My boyfriend and I have been making what we call "Josh's Poor Man's Chili" Mix one can Vegetarian Baked Beans with one can chili rotelle and some vegan bbq sauce. Pour over a steaming baked potato. YUM! We can eat this meal three times out of one batch of beans.

Oh, I love bean salads. They're particularly good for people who don't have a lot of fridge space at work. I loved being able to keep a salad at my desk instead of risking its disappearance in the communal breakroom. Ha!

my favorite cheapie vegan meal, especially in weather like this, is a tie between baked/stuffed squash (lentils, squash from the farmer's market, and whatever other veggies are cheap and available = YUM) and vegan chili (beans, tvp, diced tomatoes, and SPICE). i can typically make meals for DAYS out of these and they are hearty and healthy to boot!

My favorite budget meal would have to be breakfast!Take a potato, shred it and make hash browns and then scramble up some tofu(and ground flax seeds) in the extra oil. When all is said and done, I add hot sauce to the tofu(unless I'm lucky enough to have had fresh peppers to cook with it).

I think I just found one of my fave simple yet yummy cheap vegan meals this week. Its just a simple burrito but so good and a great base recipe that can be changed up however you like. One can of black beans and a cup of salsa warmed in a pan, crushing up at least half of the beans as you stir it up. Mix in 3/4 tbsp of cumin and 3/4 tbsp of chili powder. Divide it between 6 large tortillas, top with sharp cheddar or monteray jack and you've got dinner!

I also love the snobby joes from Veganomicon as a dinner-on-a-dime, and recently have been taking a liking to the slow cooked chana dal in coconut milk, a recent entry on Two Blue Lemons. Living in Japan atm, but family and all are back in Canada, I'm sure they will forward it along to me if I'm lucky enough to win!

I have been vegetarian for 3 years after learning the truth behind our awful meat industry. Mother of 4 boys (17, 13, 12 and 8) and wife. Trying to convert 5 men is a difficult task but I am NEVER going to give up hope on them.

Oh how I loooove cookbooks!! My favorite inexpensive meal is cream of tomato soup made with pureed white beans and nutritional yeast in place of dairy! Perfect for fall weather!! Thanks for the opportunity!! Maria

My name is Bianca ...

About Me

I'm a 9-year vegan, 19-year vegetarian from the Mid-South, not too far from the muddy banks of the Mississippi River. And that means cornbread, butter beans, and collard greens.
These days, I live in Memphis. Check out my cookbook — Cookin' Crunk. It's filled with yummilicious veganized soul food and country classics.